March Minutes 2022

Cllr H Thomas, Cllr J Perrin, Cllr D Butlin, Cllr C Rylett, Cllr D Levy, Cllr A Goodwin & Clerk Mrs T Cameron plus 4 members of the public

Cllr B King, Cllr C Metcalf

The Parish Council has made the public aware that the meeting is recorded for the clerk to type up the minutes later at home.

The meeting is recorded by the Clerk to enable her to type up the minutes later but is then deleted.

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 4^th February 2022 were approved.

a) Thames Valley Police – On the 22^nd February motorbikes were reported to be on the fields by Burleigh Road.  Police attended but found nothing.

b) Report from the Clerk on actions from the last meeting –

·         Horsemere Lane/Cassington Lights – Tracey has contacted OCC with regards to a meeting about bio-diversity and is still awaiting a response.  She has however taken pictures of the A40 from the Eynsham Roundabout to Marlborough Pool.

·         Mobile Phone for Clerk – Tracey has looked into a phone.  She can purchase a sim for £1 and a mobile for £35 – Parish Council approved clerk to purchase a new phone

·         Clerk to purchase old laptop – Tracey offered to purchase the old laptop from the Parish Council for £40. – Parish Council have agreed

·         Stone Mason quote on War Memorial – Tracey is still awaiting a response from 2 stone masons that she has contacted. – Cllr Thomas suggested that we have a 3D model of the War Memorial Parish Council agreed it was a good idea.  Cllr Thomas will speak to the resident who can do this

·         Neighbourhood Plan – Regulation 14 has ended but there are still a few responses outstanding.  Also the last of the grant has been agreed and we are awaiting payment into the Unity Account.

·         Trees on the Recreation Ground – The order has gone in and delivery should happen by mid-march. – Cllr Thomas and Cllr Butlin will go to the recreation ground and put pegs in where the trees will go.

·         New Swing in Playing Area – Tracey has been in contact with Proludic and they have advised that they are waiting for delivery details.  Once they have them they will be in contact.

PLANNING

APPROVED APPLICATIONS

APPLICATION NO: OCC ref: R3.0151/21

PROPOSAL: The dualling of approximately 3.2km of the A40 carriageway from the existing Hill Farm junction at Witney to the Eynsham Park and Ride site (R3.0057/19) including the construction of two new roundabouts.

• An eastbound and westbound bus lane approximately 6.5km in length from the Eynsham Park and Ride site to existing structures at Duke’s Cut waterway (Duke’s Cut Canal Bridge, Earl’s Culvert, Wolvercote Railway Bridge and Wolvercote Canal Bridge);

• Capacity and connectivity improvements over the existing structures at Duke’s Cut waterway to enable the proposed eastbound bus lane to extend over the existing structures up to the A34 flyover in the east, forming a connection into Oxford North (Northern Gateway) strategic development site;

• Construction of a new signalized junction to the Eynsham Park and Ride site;

• New pedestrian/cyclist underpass at Cuckoo Lane (‘the Eynsham Underpass’). Two new pedestrian/cycle bridges at Cassington Halt (Cassington Halt Footbridge North and Cassington Halt Footbridge South);

• Widening of Cassington New Bridge;

• Demolition and replacement/extension of existing White House Culvert;

• Demolition and replacement/extension of Barnard Gate New Culvert;

• New and improved shared use footways and cycleways, including new shared use links to National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 5 at Duke’s Cut waterway;

• Alterations to existing junctions and property accesses along the A40;

• Controlled crossings, external lighting, noise barriers, sustainable drainage systems, landscaping, habitat creation including ecology ponds and associated hibernacula;

• All associated engineering and temporary construction works, site compound and storage areas. at A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (‘HIF2 project’) A40 corridor between Witney and Wolvercote, Oxfordshire

LOCATION: A40

APPLICANT Oxfordshire County Council

COMMENT DATE: 12^TH March 2022

–       Clerk to speak to Eynsham and South Leigh to ask their objection comments

New Planning Applications:

A resident has emailed with regards to the lorries in the village and they think that there could be a weight restriction in the village.  The clerk has spoken to Highways and they have advised that it can be reported. Cllr Thomas advised that the village itself does not have a weight restriction.

Little Lane needs to be cleared – Clerk has registered it with fix my street

The Tennis and Bell Lane the leaves have become compacted and is difficult for people to use – Clerk has reported on Fix My Street

The Wall in The Tennis – The Clerk has forwarded the email to Cllr Levy who has advised that it is still with an officer in Planning Enforcement he will continue to chase

The Bollards by Williams Court – Cllr Levy is still chasing

County Councillor – Cllr Levy

A bit of a transport heavy report this month.

The County Council passed its budget at the February full council meeting.  Among other things, we will see a restoration of youth services after years of cuts, and feasibility studies on the expansion of rail services, including the potential one between Carterton, Witney, Eynsham and Oxford, for which I have been campaigning for a long time.

The Oxfordshire Fair Deal Alliance is committed to encouraging public transport and active travel.

Work has already begun on a feasibility study for the cycle and walking path between Eynsham and Hanborough Station; the cost of the path will be found from the Section 106 payments from the developers of the Garden Village. It will join the cycle track which will extend all the way from Witney to Bladon along the A4095, currently being built.   Blenheim Estates are working closely with the County Council to try to find ways round the pinchpoints under the railway and at the corner in Bladon.

I am pleased to say that the First and Last Bus service between Standlake, Stanton Harcourt, Eynsham, Freeland and Hanborough has now been running for two months, is well used, both to take pupils to Bartholomew and for the general public, and the money for the buses came via S106 money from the County Council.  Unfortunately, the government has decided not to keep the payments it made during lockdown to keep buses going, and those services which have relied on both subsidy and fares are under threat –   fortunately, the great services we have in Eynsham and the slightly fewer good ones in Cassington do not rely on subsidy.

We inherited two deeply flawed large scale road schemes from the previous administration, in which money from Homes England, relating to building a huge number of houses, has been aimed at building new or widened highways.   My view is that building roads is no way to combat climate change and discourages people from using better forms of transport than the private car, and that car use always expands to fill the roads made available.  However, we may find it impossible to prevent these schemes because of the way they are funded, even though any cost or time overruns – and these things always overrun – are likely to lead to cuts in County Council spending on things we do want to do.

People here know about the HIF2 scheme, to dual some of the A40, up to the west of Eynsham, and build bus lanes along the A40 from Eynsham to Wolvercote    Although there are some benefits to the scheme, such as additional and better placed bus stops and sorting out the mess that is the junction by Cassington  (and this really will be better than it currently is), they are outweighed by the costs to the environment, the dangers to people who have to cross the road, especially in the Salt Cross/Eynsham corridor, and above all by the likelihood that the new scheme won’t actually reduce congestion or increase bus use.  These points were all made by my predecessor too.  The scheme will shortly go to planning committee at the County Council.  I have put in an objection, as I know have many residents and parish councils.      It is more likely than not that, primarily because of the way funding has been fixed, it will have to be approved.   I will continue to try to get more improvements in the scheme, on top of the ones that have already been gained since the scheme was first devised.,

HIF1 is, if anything, even more problematical.  It involves building a new road from the A34 near Didcot, across the site of the old power station and then round Culham.  New roads aren’t the correct approach at a time when we have to treat climate change as an emergency.  Many of us believe that we should unlock the 12000 proposed homes without building a major new road, especially in a site so close to a major train junction.

On the topic of cars, and closer to home, the County Council is likely to give notice that it will take on-street car enforcement back in house.  It is currently done very badly by WODC, which loses £400k of council taxpayer money each year but doesn’t deliver an adequate service.    You will have noticed how rarely we see parking enforcers on our streets, and that means dangerous parking at junctions, the limited time spaces meant to encourage shopping being parked in all day.  Some places are likely to request Residents Parking Zones.  Woodstock will probably be first, because residents have a real problem with finding spaces near their houses, because of the influx of visitors.   There will only be RPZs if residents request them.

For the avoidance of doubt, WODC will retain control of its own car parks, including the ones in Witney.  It is entirely up to WODC whether it charges for car parking.  You may have seen petitions and rumors coming from political mischief-makers, suggesting that the County Council will charge for off street car parks.   They are utterly unfounded.  And a new low even for the person behind them.

Finally, a plea for everyone to be unneighbourly.   Covid hasn’t gone away, and the rates in Oxfordshire remain stubbornly high.  Although the government has ended all Covid related laws, advice remains to isolate if infected and to take appropriate heath measure like mask-wearing.

The appalling events in Ukraine are on everyone’s minds.  There are many people who are themselves from Ukraine and Russia or who are second generation immigrants from there who live in our community.   They need our support and compassion, and I am sure will get it.

District Councillors – WODC has still not responded to the inspectorate with regards to the Garden Village.  The Budget was passed. 

Parish Councillors – Nothing to report

a) Neighbourhood Watch – Residents on Eynsham Road have been suffering from power cuts over the past few weeks – Clerk to write to SSEN with regards to the power cuts.

Please can people remember to things on fix my street on the WODC website.

Speedwatch – The first and second Speed Watch has taken place.  The Parish Council wish to thank Ron McDonald for taking on the responsibility for organising this and setting it up, and to everyone who has volunteered to help

Wednesday 2^nd March

4 excessive speeding

1 false number plate

Thursday 3^rd March

8 excessive speeding

As above Proludic are waiting for delivery details of the new swing. They hope it will be mid-march.

Clerk to get a price to fix the zip wire to pass on to the Sports & Social

Payments to be approved:

Income:

Balance of Unity Bank as of Sunday 27^th February – £10,527.30

a) Increase in costs from Ubico re Grass Cuttting. Ubico have advised that they have increased they charges by 5%. – Parish Council agreed

b) Managing Local Council Elections SLCC Course £18.00 24^th March – Check with SLCC Finance regarding invoices

c) Government Reforms on the Planning System SLCC Course £36 6^th April

d) Operation London Bridge £36.00 5^th April

e) Bike Night – Contribution to St Johns Ambulance – Clerk to check the amount

f) Platinum Jubilee Mural by Sports and Social – Parish Council agreed

Mid Monthly Planning Meeting – No Meeting Needed

Date of the next Parish Council Meeting – Thursday 7^th April 2022